The National Bank of Ukraine

Legal status, principles of organization and activities of the National Bank of Ukraine are determined by the Constitution of Ukraine and the Law of Ukraine "On the National Bank of Ukraine".

The National Bank of Ukraine is a legal entity with separated property, which is the object of the state property. Its authorized capital amounts to UAH 10 million and is the state-owned property which is in the full economic competence of the National Bank.

According to Article 99 of the Constitution of Ukraine, adopted in 1996, the main function of the country's central bank is to ensure stability of monetary unit-the Hryvnia. To carry out its main function, the National Bank shall foster the stability of the banking system and, within its competence, the price stability.

According to the Law of Ukraine "On the National Bank of Ukraine", the National Bank is the central bank of Ukraine, a specific central body of the state administration, its issuing center which pursue common state policy in money circulation, credit, strengthening of monetary unit; it coordinates functioning of the banking system in general; determines exchange rate of the monetary unit against foreign currencies. The National Bank determines a kind of bank notes, their denomination, distinctive features and their protection system. The National Bank of Ukraine ensures the accumulation and custody of the gold and currency reserves and the conduction of transactions with them and the banking metals. The National Bank of Ukraine sets up the order of determining a discount rate and other interest rates; it gives permission for commercial banks' registration and licenses banking business; determines the standard of emergency funds for commercial banks and other financial and credit institutions.

Main Function

According to the Constitution of Ukraine, the main function of the National Bank is to ensure the stability of Ukraine's monetary unit. To carry out its major function, the National Bank shall foster the stability of the banking system and within its competence, the price stability.

Other Functions

The National Bank shall carry out the following functions:

1.         to determine and pursue the monetary policy in accordance with the General Principles of the Monetary Policy developed by the Council of the National Bank of Ukraine;

2.         to issue the national currency of Ukraine on a monopoly basis and to organize its circulation;

3.         to act as the last-instance creditor for banks and to organize the refinancing system;

4.         to establish the rules of conducting banking transactions, accounting and reporting, protection of the information, funds and property for the banks;

5.         to organize and to provide the methodological support to the system of the monetary, crediting and banking statistical information and the statistics of the balance of payments;

6.         to determine the system, procedure and modes of payments, including those between banks;

7.         to determine the areas of the development of modern electronic banking technologies, to establish, co-ordinate and control the creation of electronic means of payment, payment system, banking automation and the banking information protection facilities;

8.         to exercise the banking regulation and supervision;

9.         to keep a Register of banks, to license banking business and transactions, if provided for by the laws;

10.      to keep the official Register of identification numbers of issuers of payment cards of domestic payment systems;

11.      to exercise the inspection certification of auditors for conducting audit of banks, temporary administrators and liquidators of a bank;

12.      to compile, analyze and forecast the balance of payments;

13.      to represent Ukraine's interests in central banks of other states, international banks and other crediting institutions, where the cooperation takes place at the level of central banks;

14.      to exercise the currency regulation with the competence to be defined by a special law, to determine the procedure of effecting payments in the foreign currency, to organize and exercise the currency control over the commercial banks and other credit institutions which are in possession of a National Bank's license for the transactions with currency values;

15.      to ensure the accumulation and custody of the gold and currency reserves and the conduction of transactions with them and the banking metals;

16.      to analyze the status of the monetary, crediting, financial, pricing and currency relations;

17.      to organize the collection and transportation of bank notes, coins and other values; to grant licenses for collection and transportation of bank notes, coins and other values;

18.       to implement the national policy of the protection of state secrets within the system of the National Bank;

19.      to take part in the training of personnel for Ukraine s banking system;

20.      to define  functioning characteristics  of the banking system of Ukraine in case of martial law or a specific period, to exercise preparedness activity of the National Bank of Ukraine' system;

21.      to exercise other functions in the monetary and crediting sphere within its competence defined by the law.